Vent was composed in 1994 for the ensemble No Strings Attached. The timbral quality of four clarinets together was a factor I constantly kept in mind during the composition...read more

Vent was composed in 1994 for the ensemble No Strings Attached. The timbral quality of four clarinets together was a factor I constantly kept in mind during the composition. That mellow wooden sound in the low chalameau register, those piercing high notes and the ability to move seamlessly through the whole range. I wished to explore arpeggio figures (something I had never done before) both in a controlled burbling kind of way and in a broad brush fanfare sense. From this I began to use harmonic systems based on 4ths, 3rds and modes in quick succession or simultaneously. Finally I wanted bursts of pent-up energy placed alongside more carefully constructed passages highlighting the exorcising nature of the music to which the title might refer.